I’ll be more or less on blog vacation for three weeks starting Monday. Steve M, Zandar, and Libby Spencer will be filling in for me, each for a week. I’ll probably pop in occasionally to ask you to give money for the Wisconsin recall races.
Last Friday at my hotel bar in London, my friend and I were sitting next to some guys from Ireland. We started chatting with them a bit, one was a big Bruins and Red Sox fan, his daughter lived in Boston. He compared the Bruins this year (first Stanley Cup since 1972) to the Red Sox 2004 World Series (first since 1918). I told him the story of how my grandfather was born in 1919 and always believed that the Red Sox would win the World Series shortly after he died but not in his lifetime (he wasn’t far off, he died in 1996). The man quite liked this fatalistic story and insisted on buying me a shot of Johnny Walker Blue Label, which I had never had before. Then he sang a very beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Then each of the rest of us was supposed to sing a song, but that didn’t go as well. When he went to the bathroom, I commented to his friends how beautifully he sang. They told me his name was Paddy Reilly and that he was quite famous as a singer in Ireland.
patroclus
Happy Juneteenth to everybody!
jeffreyw
Irish? Give that man some potato soup!
Yutsano
Yer gonna have to write a book someday you know DougJ. For someone in a publish-or-perish field that shouldn’t be too complicated however.
Corner Stone
@Yutz
One of the few things we agree on. I am eagerly waiting for the day DougJ publishes his exploits.
Dude is money.
DougJ in Damascus
In math, we usually have co-authors, though, which makes it much easier.
Yutsano
Excuses excuses. Your word processor program calls out to you begging for its usage. :)
TaMara (BHF)
Best bar story evah!
Paul W.
Alright! Love me some Zandar and Steve M.
Svensker
Guy’s a good singer! And of course he went back to his friends and told them all about the famous American blogger he met at the pub, amirite?
MikeJ
No surprise finding Irish people who like Boston. It is a surprise to find Irish who will admit to liking rounders, at least ones that aren’t middle school aged girls.
MikeJ
What’s your Erdös number?
demz taters
In 2004, a lot of us were remembering those die-hard Red Sox fans we knew who didn’t quite live to see it.
DougJ in Damascus
Two.
Crashman
@12. demz taters
I was lucky enough to watch Game 4 in 2004 with my gramps. He was huge fan, and lived long enough to see them win again in 07. He told me he couldn’t believe he saw them win twice.
demz taters
@14. Crashman
We buried Grammy Bridget, who still watched the games on her black and white TV, in 2002 with a Red Sox cap and two scratch tickets. Even now, I like to think they were big winners.
PeakVT
Not that I have anything against those bloggers, but why are you having them fill in when the blog already has multiple FPers?
DougJ in Damascus
I like their stuff and I think they write in the same style that I do.
Bailey
How much do I love this story? This much: / ……………………………………………………………………………..
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And more! What a great conversation you wandered into.
Dee Loralei
Great story, Doug.
A few weeks ago, I made a sour cherry and dark chocolate chip gellato. And I thought of those cherries you linked to before Christmas, the brandied cherries from Saveur, but I didn’t have the forethought to make 6 weeks before my wild hair. (That was you, wasn’t it? Or was it Tim?) My aunt said it reminded her of chocolate covered cherries. Which she loves. And I had no idea. SO yesterday I pitted two pounds of Bing and Ranier cherries using your recipe. And I’m gonna make this totally sick cake for her birthday. I found it at the I Am Baker blog. She puts a layer of chocolate covered cherries between her cake layers and fills it with icing. I’m gonna use the rest of the cherries in brandy in or over ice cream or crepes. My aunt’s bday is the first of August, so this time I’ve got the foresight and the foreknowledge, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Crashman
@15. demz taters
That is a great story.
DougJ in Damascus
@Dee Loralei
Those brandied cherries from Saveur are great, and so easy to make. I put them in Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.
Old Dan and Little Ann
Sláinte! Great story. : )
JPL
Thanks Doug. Stop by and continue sharing your adventures when you have a chance.
Cat Lady
Dad watched the Bruins on Channel 38 on a 13″ black and white TV every night of the week they were on all through the 60s into the early Orr 70s. That bow tie UHF antenna had to be just right or it looked like they were playing in the snow. He’d have loved these playoff games if he were still around since you can more or less see the puck in high def, but he did make it to see his beloved Red Sox win it all. Happy Father’s day Dad.
JenJen
That’s a great story about your dad, Cat Lady. And as much as it pains me that the Bruins won the Cup, I was truly moved that over a million turned out to see their victory parade through Boston yesterday. The players were having an absolute blast. That was good for hockey and made me feel very (temporarily) happy for Bruins fans everywhere.
I love bar stories, DougJ, and that one’s a keeper. And a shot of Johnny Blue to go with? Priceless!
dmsilev
When my aunt died in 2005, she was laid out at her wake wearing a pink Red Sox cap, and “at least she lived to see them win the Series” was overheard coming from many friends and family.
celticdragonchick
I always loved that song.
The town I loved so well
I used to listen to Frank Emerson sing it at Kevin Barry’s in Savannah.
Janus Daniels
What’s your Erdös number?
Two.
Wow.
vtr
So you sang “Sweet Caroline?” My dad, born just outside boston – 1917-1997.
MikeJ
Janus, no more ones until the zombie apocalypse.
passerby
Wow, what a great story and Wow, Paddy’s got a great voice. That ballad broke my heart. Heading over to Amazon right now for a download.
Thanks for posting that.
Beauzeaux
One of the things I love about Ireland is that many of the singers look like someone who’s actually lived a bit. Paddy Reilly is so talented and not a “pretty boy” at all. Very weathered and sexy too.
krahbedad
Lived in Galway and Cork city in Ireland for 15 years. The music was great. Look at the number of US and Brit performers who willing spend time in Ireland to work their craft with musicians there. And for the most part Irish performs don’t put on “airs” and are quite willing to chat with ‘the punters’ and have a pint. And yes in parties it is a tradition that people swap songs back and forth and everyone participates.
Jane2
Wow, lucky you, DougJ….Paddy Reilly is a legend.
Paul in KY
Pretty cool that Paddy Reilly bought you a drink & then sang for you. Lucky dude.
Kilkee
First time I went to Doolin I wandered into O’Connor’s, was enjoying the fine play. A few moments later a guy took his whistle out of the pocket and blew the house away, or, more accurately, to reverential silence. “Miko Russell,” the bartender whispered to me. It took me a while to realize I’d happened on to the appearance of a musical demi-God, although it was not particularly a long shot in those days, in that place. See Andy Irvine: “My Heart’s Tonight in Ireland.”
twiffer
i’m mostly suprised an irishman bought you scotch.